Stuffed animal

I have a few pieces in my closet that I always try to work into an outfit and make sure to hang in prominent spaces so I know they will be the first things I grasp. This faux fur cape is one of those favorites and has been a staple in my closet for a few years now. I salvaged it from a $1 vintage sale in LA and have held onto it ever since. It may be the teddy bear quality fur that made me cling to it, but I think the worn in brown is what makes it feel so comfortable to wear. The style is meant to be dressed up and classic, but paired with light jeans and some thick knit socks, the capelet fit perfectly into a daytime outfit.

Vintage cape and shirt, Forever 21 jeans, Calvin Klein socks, Cynthia Vincent for Target wedges

Slightly obsessed with

The Chrisette shoe from Kate Spade. Bright colors and a frill on the toe, perfect for an impromptu party.

Color swatch

This past weekend was spent indulging in a few pre-wedding celebrations, which consequently has left me catching up on a growing pile of overdue work. To ease into the busy days ahead (and to finally pull together a much overdue post) I decided to add to my color swatch series and focus on something bright and cheery. Yellow has been popping up everywhere in my life and I think it is safe to say, my favorite color is yellow. Therefore, the sunny hue is always a welcome addition in the kitchen, office, and even the closet. The inspiration board above my desk is pinned with swatches of golds and butter, while some new gift wrapping supplies are eagerly waiting to brighten up my next gift. For a week that is quickly filling up and passing even quicker, the bits of yellow are doing a great job of keeping me happy along the way.

Pinboard of yellow fabric, paint chips, and business card

A small vase of last week's yellow ranunculus

Yellow sprinkles and cupcake liners waiting to be turned into something sweet

Twine and paper bags striped with yellow

Black and white

I can feel it...the warmer weather is around the corner (hopefully) and to honor the less than freezing temps I decided to be a bit bold and wear something other than pants. I bought this maxi dress over the summer, but hung it up for a bit when the snow began to fall because it really didn't look good on me with long sweaters. Pair something ankle length with a long top and instantly I look oddly short and tall at the same time. This striped cropped jacket was the perfect length for my long dress and the cheerful stripes and gold buttons brightened up the look quite nicely. Paired with a wide bow on the back, I felt extra excited to walk out the door and not shiver on the walk to my car.

Kate Spade jacket, Forever 21 dress, Prada booties

Strawberry shortcakes

This dessert has always intrigued me. I've seen it so many times in magazines, but have never made it. I think the visual of the cartoon Strawberry Shortcake has always deterred me for some reason, but this weekend I decided to push aside any animated fears and make the fruit filled creamy dessert. The entire day started with me telling myself I would bake fresh shortcakes for this sweet. I held my ground until I wandered past the bakery display at Whole Foods and found biscuits just waiting to be purchased for my very meal. Moral of the story...store bought goods are just as tasty as the homemade kind (hey I made everything else!)


It only takes a few simple ingredients and a bit of assembly time to make the fluffy dessert. Even after the first and second bites, I didn't feel any remorse for succumbing to the pre-made ease of store bought pastries.





Strawberry shortcakes (serves 2)

2 biscuits
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 vanilla beat
2 tablespoons sugar
10-15 strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup water

Beat the whipping cream in medium bowl with 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. On a cutting board, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, then use the back of a knife to scrape out seeds. Mix seeds into whipped cream.

In a small saucepan, boil 3/4 of sliced strawberries with remaining sugar and water until syrup is formed.

Slice biscuits in half. Spread one half with strawberry syrup, dollop of whipped cream, and the other half of the biscuit. Add another spoonful of cream and top with fresh strawberries.

Lovely day

Ever since I was little I have always loved Valentine's Day. I'm sure it puts an incredible amount of stress on Paul, but the day dedicated to love notes and chocolate has always put me in the mood to celebrate. While I know I would get some crazy looks if I walked around with an old school shoe box covered in pink craft paper asking for 99 cent valentines, I'm not going to let my age hinder a bit of the sweet themed activities. Rather than go for the v-day overload I picked a few things to make our place a little more loving. Starting with a sweet message near the bed, roses on the dresser, and small hearts scatters around the rooms, the lack of chalk hearts and grade school notes can easily be replaced this year.





Hope everyone has a lovely day.

Sweet addition

image from www.bakelab.com

While searching around for some bakeries in Los Angeles I popped onto the adorable website for Bakelab. Rather than sell from a static storefront, these bakers prepare behind the scenes then sell wholesale or ship all of their tasty treats, like homemade snowballs...you know, the pink coconut puffs on every 7-eleven shelf, only amazingly better. On a recent sugar craving I made the mistake of searching through their product pages and decided that one of the Best of Bakeleb kits would hit the spot (thank goodness I got distracted before I made it to my wallet). The cute design and mathematically correct approach to designing their sweets is the best part, although these raspberry truffle cookies might be the best way to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Indoor sprouts

1. Echeveria in gold ceramic, Jayson Home and Garden, $85
2. Rose of Sharon Grand vase, Anthropologie, $28
3. Votives in Oz and Jade, Glassybaby, $40 each
4. La Botte Floral tablecloth, Crate & Barrel, $55
5. Bormioli Rocco Giara green bottle, Amazon, $10
6. Walled garden knob, Anthropologie, $8

I love the look of full garden that is dominated by green leaves, herbs, and sprouts, rather than rows and bushes of multicolored blooms. The simple color scheme, paired with stones, wood, or large terracotta planters looks clean, but just as pretty as the flowered version. Because it isn't quite time to enjoy a garden...or the outdoors...I thought a little green hued home decor would help bring the plant mentality indoors. Whether it's succulents planted in a flashy gold container or simple votive holders made of jewel toned glass, the indoor garden theme seems to do a pretty good job of reminding me what it's like to wander through the gardens.

Doubled up

I've started a collection of pretty good capes, but it all started with this one. Last year my hinting paid off when Paul found this amazing vintage houndstooth cape, but because I was still living in LA, the slightly cool days really weren't anywhere cold enough for a double layered piece of outerwear. Well, now I'm in another state...and it's freezing, so I thought it was finally time to break out my unworn gift.

Vintage cape and belt, H&M sweater, BCBG leggings, H&M booties

The black and white outer layer can be flipped over to reveal a furry red cape, while each side latches at the neck with two round buttons. The little slits for the arms are a perfect way to tuck in my hands while trying to warm up a bit. Paired with simple leggings and a nude sweater, the classic pattern is able to stand out on its own.

Brain freeze

Last night I sat in front of my computer for a good part of the night starting and stopping about ten different blog posts. Tabs were open, pictures were saved, and Photoshop was quickly cropping, adjusting, and selecting. What did I end up with? A pretty big headache and not much to show for my hours of work. All in all, last night I had a bit of a mental block and decided to turn to something that used little brain power, but satisfied my aching head...a cup of some pretty good hot chocolate with a bit of an indulgent edge. The perfect remedy for computer strained eyes. Here's to moments of lackluster creativity with sweet endings.

Appetizer how-to

A few weekends ago Paul and I decided to spend the night in to watch a movie and make dinner, but because it was a Friday after a busy week, neither of us felt like putting much effort into our meal. A quick run to the store to grab the food and some fancy beers and I cooked up a board full of appetizers to accompany our channel surfing, which happily left us much more satisfied than a full dinner. Follow a few simple rules for an easy alternative dinner spread.

1. Try something new to mix up the usual spread. I went for mini potstickers.
2. Pick one larger app that acts as the entree, like a spinach and feta pie.
3. Go for a trio when serving cheese. A simple cracker, tasty cheese, and a dried fruit to top the bite. I used dried figs sliced in half.
4. To last through the night, go for something that's easy to refill, like chips and guac.

Nightime white

I found this dress at Salvation Army over the summer and did what I do with most of my vintage clothes...ball it up in my closet, take it out once to wash it, then hang it in the depths of my clothing rack as if I'll remember that it is hanging in the midst of the other forgotten wardrobe pieces. A little dramatic, but I have found many worthy pieces on that back rack just begging to be thrown in the rotation every once in a while. Last night I had no intention of going out, so I decided to play a little dress up. Just like when I was younger, and my mom's closet was an uncharted territory of clothes that weren't mine but should be, I pulled out this white summer dress for a bit of playtime. The airy fabric, ruffled collar, and billowing sleeves made me feel every bit the seventies lounger who may have worn this one before it became a vintage piece. I even slicked on a day-glo lipstick to round out my night of dress up.

Vintage dress and belt, Forever 21 bracelet, American Apparel bralette